Kilcoole

The new timetable has deleted 3 Northbound services and 1 Southbound leaving 19 and 18. This is a major reduction (15% Northbound) at the same time as a reduction in train service. Naturally more people will use cars on the already overcrowded roads and many new houses are being built. It is also contrary to the future Bus Connects plans for a better service. I have asked the NTA & Dublin Bus to urgently change: a. Previous 07.20 North which schoolchildren got to Bray and elsewhere. They will now be driven….

Bord Pleanala has received a Strategic Housing Development Application for 262 homes and some Commercial Units. Applications for over 100 houses go direct to the Bord and this is the first one in Wicklow under this new procedure. While houses are welcome this plan needs drastic changing. I have asked the Bord to make major changes to the scheme. It was intended that this area would be a Town Centre for the large village of Kilcoole, population about 5,000. This does not seem to be a Town Centre and the…

Procurement of Refurbished and New Diesel railcars. You are procuring improved carriages, I ask that you get them so that the doors in a limited number of carriages can be opened at short platform stations. These are normal in most other commuter railways but the IR carriages must open all doors on the train which means 8 carriages cannot be used on lines with short platforms (Kilcoole & Rathdrum for example). This will improve the service to Greystones and Wicklow by allowing longer 8 carriage trains in place of the…

A footpath from Kilcoole to the station is badly needed as Sea Road is narrow and heavily used. ‘I have been pressing the Council to design and fund one for many years and a design was produced last year. This needed discussion with landowners as the road is too narrow. Unfortunately work stopped on this. I have asked the Council to restart work so that we can present a plan to the National Transport Authority so they can fund it. This has been agreed and progress will be reported monthly.’

To Day Sunday 30th March Fine Gael launched their Local Election Campaign for the Greystones area of Wicklow County Council. The Launch took place in conjunction with the Euro-Election campaign of Wicklow Deputy Simon Harris. In the reorganised Wicklow County Council the new Municipal area of Greystones which incorporates the towns and villages of Kilcoole, Newcastle, Greystones. Delgany, Killincarrig and Killadrennan will have six seats. Fine Gael is putting forward a strong team of experience and community activists for this area. Existing councillors Derek Mitchell and Grainne McLoughlin are being…

The roundabout in Kilcoole is to be replaced by traffic lights to improve safety and €150k has been allocated to do it this year. A plan has been drawn up for a footpath down to the sea but this will have to wait for extra funding and discussions with landowners. ‘I am pleased that this is finally getting closer as a path to the station and sea is badly needed’. At Killincarrig funding of €100k has been received to provide 4 pedestrian crossings at the roundabouts this year. A…

Wicklow County Council approved the Greystones, Kilcoole and Delgany Development Plan at its Monday meeting. Part of the County Managers recommendations was to rezone Stylebawn House, a Protected Structure, in the centre of Delgany for extra housing and some shops. This was rejected by the Councillors and it has reverted to its previous low density zoning. Also Councillors voted to remove any possibility of shopping development on the large IDA site. ‘I was very against shops there as I felt it would result in vacant shops in the centre of…

At a meeting on Monday the Area Engineer announced that he is to try to design a footpath on Sea Road, Kilcoole. The National Roads Authority is keen to provide footpaths to stations and should be willing to fund it if there is enough land for it. 3 years ago when the Kilcoole Plan was being prepared I pushed hard to get a path included in the plan as people should be able to walk safely to the station and the beach on this busy road. I am pleased there…

Irish Rail have confirmed that when erecting a safety fence at Kilcoole they will leave a gap, with swing gates, so pedestrians can cross. ‘Originally they were going to close the Breeches Bridge to pedestrians which would have cut the attractive walk from Greystones to Wicklow Town. I have been discussing this with Irish Rail engineers for some time and they have now agreed to leave it open with gates and instructions for the train to whistle and slow’. This will be temporary and they will design a separate walkway,…

Bus information signs which give the time to arrival of the next 4 busses are to be live in a number of locations including 3 in Greystones and 7 in Bray and a number of more rural places. However Kilcoole and Charlesland have been left out in spite of my demanding signs earlier in the year. In the recent Census Kilcoole was one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland and Charlesland is the second largest private estate. They must have higher usage figures than many places allocated these signs….